24 April 2021
During the China Space Conference on the occasion of the China Space Day 2021 in Nanjing, Hu Hao, the chief designer of the third stage of China's lunar exploration programme confirmed that the intention is to launch Chang'e 6 as a sample return mission from the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon around 2024.
CNSA has invited the international science community to participate in the mission. 4 payloads developed by scientists from France, Sweden, Italy, Russia and China have been preliminarily selected. After the detailed plan of the Chang'e-6 mission comes out, the payloads will be finally determined, said Hu.
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